It is January 1st, a new calendar year has begun, and tradition has it that people all over the world are posting about the year past and their visions for the coming year. It seems that this is almost an obligatory activity in which to indulge.
As a year ends it is considered to be a time of reflection. For that reason I tend to avoid mirrors.
The beginning of the year is considered to be a re-start on life, however for this to happen the battery must have sufficient charge.
For me, to start the year, I arose at 0530, got dressed, headed to the loo for the morning business, accompanied by Otis, who ensures the area to be safe (he is, after all, a vicious guard cat). Then, it was time to put in my teeth, weigh myself (never you mind), head into my office, look out the window (only a dusting of snow and -14C), turn on the desk light and head to the kitchen.
In the kitchen the priority was to feed Otis and make my coffee (Malaysian of course) and put away the clean dishes before heading back to my office. Once there I tested my blood sugar level (it’s okay), had my pills (ten of them) and opened up my computer.
On my computer I checked my emails (most were deleted upon reading), looked at the calendar for significant activities, checked Facebook for birthdays, marketplace and posts of interest (on several pages that I administer).
Once that was done, I opened WordPress and decided to compose this blog post.
What a way to start the new year!
Except…
Other than composing this blog post, that is the description of pretty much every morning (with minor changes when Kim is up getting ready for work on weekdays).
Now if you were expecting a disertation on my wide experiences of the past year and my lofty expections of the year to come, like so many others around the world, you will be happy to know that you need not suffer though one.
Rather, you are now privy to the way I start a new year every day.
As a result this blog post is likely not highly informative or interesting, but it is the first post I’ve done in months so an achievement has been reached.
Regardless of whether it’s the end of an old year, or the beginning of a new year, or just a regular day in the life, it is my wish that you are all well and moving to the future.
Until next time, take care of yourself and look out for others.
So, today I made it to three quarters of a century.
With all the talk about Artificial Intelligence (AI) lately, I thought I would have some fun.
First, I asked ChatGPT to provide the meaning of 75 years old.
Following that I asked ChatGPT to provide the meaning of three quarters of a century old.
It seems that they are not the same, however both are interesting. You can read them here.
I will rejoin you below.
Turning 75 years old carries multiple layers of meaning:
Longevity: Reaching 75 is a significant achievement in terms of longevity. It reflects a long life, often filled with rich experiences, and is celebrated as a mark of resilience and vitality.
Wisdom and Experience: By the age of 75, individuals typically have accumulated a wealth of knowledge and life experience. This age often signifies a deep reservoir of wisdom, shaped by decades of personal and professional experiences.
Reflection and Legacy: At 75, people often reflect on their life’s journey, accomplishments, and the impact they’ve made on their families, communities, and beyond. It’s a time to consider one’s legacy and the contributions they’ve made throughout their life.
Family and Generational Connections: Many individuals at this age have witnessed the growth of their families across generations. They may have children, grandchildren, and sometimes great-grandchildren, making this a period to celebrate family bonds and the continuity of family traditions.
Health and Well-being: Health becomes an important focus as people age, and reaching 75 often involves managing health conditions and adapting to changes in physical abilities. It’s a time when maintaining well-being and enjoying a good quality of life are priorities.
Cultural Significance: In various cultures, turning 75 is celebrated as a major milestone. It’s often marked with special ceremonies or gatherings that honor the individual’s life and contributions.
Reflection on Societal Changes: A person who is 75 years old has witnessed substantial societal and technological changes over their lifetime. Their experiences offer a unique perspective on how the world has evolved over decades.
In essence, being 75 years old is a time of celebration and reflection, honoring a long life lived and looking forward to the future with appreciation for the journey so far.
When someone is described as “three quarters of a century old,” it means they are 75 years old. This phrase adds a layer of formality and historical depth to the age. Here’s what it conveys:
Historical Context: The phrase highlights the span of 75 years as a significant period in history, suggesting that the individual has lived through a considerable portion of modern history, witnessing and experiencing many changes and events.
Significant Milestone: It frames the age as a noteworthy achievement, emphasizing the milestone of reaching 75 years. The term “three quarters of a century” underscores the considerable duration and the importance of the individual’s longevity.
Reflective Perspective: Using this phrase often implies a reflective perspective on the person’s life, acknowledging the depth of experience and the impact of their journey over a substantial period.
Formal and Poetic Tone: The expression lends a formal or poetic tone to the description of age, making it sound more grand and significant compared to simply stating “75 years old.”
In essence, “three quarters of a century old” celebrates the achievement of reaching 75 years with a sense of historical and personal importance, highlighting both the length of time and the depth of life experience.
I have to admit, that I do like the poetic aspect of “three quarters of a century”. It has a bit of a ring to it don’t you think.
Reading these items does indeed cause me to reflect.
I won’t go into great depth today but would like to highlight a few things.
Reflection: It has been an interesting journey thus far with still more to go. My intent is to share some of my life’s journey and accomplishments using this blog and other parts of my Wee Internet Empire, as I have done already to a degree with more to be forthcoming.
Family: As some of you know, I have, for many years, been working on our family history, and am now back to the early 1600’s. Learning where one comes from and where the extended family comes from is quite facinating. As far as the current group, Kim and I have a blended family. Three daughters, one son, one cat, one daughter in law, two sons in law, four granddaughters, three grandsons, three grandcats and one granddog, spread across England, Canada and Malaysia.
Health: Generally things are going along pretty well, although it seems I’m slowly becoming more bionic with a hip replacement last year and an implantable cardiac device just recently. The idea is to say around for a while longer.
Societal Changes: I certainly will have to write more about this subject. We are all familiar with the current technology, and for comparison, I can remember when we got our first huge sized black and white TV. It would seem there is much inbetween. Then we have the myriad ways that the world community has changed and modified over the passage of time, some ways good, some ways not so much. Yep, to look back is quite something.
All in all, the fact that I am on the good side of the grass, am able to do more or less what I want, with whom I want to, and am in a position to help and support others, means things are going pretty well, and I am thankful for that.
As always, any thoughts or feedback that you might have are greatly appreciated.
Thanks for visiting, take care of yourself, and when you get a chance, look out and take care of others.
Since I started on social media I have tried, for the most part, to be positive, share interesting, thoughtful and fun things, as well as avoiding religion and politics (as there seems to be more than enough of those subjects available).
I have, on occasion, posted about things such as family violence, down syndrome and other issues affecting primarily children and youths. These particular areas are of great importance to me and are the main reason for me continuing my membership and volunteering with my Kiwanis club.
Recently I have started following more people on various platforms and while doing so figured that perhaps I need to provide some of my thoughts on other areas, at times a bit separated from my regular fare.
However, this may bring with it an obstacle which I must be willing to overcome.
Unfortunately it is becoming increasingly difficult to discuss, it seems, pretty much anything, and expect it to remain a civil discourse.
Civil discourse is taken to mean a respectful conversation aimed at fostering understanding and constructive communication between individuals in a group having different perspectives. (A good Wikipedia article can be found here.)
It seems that too often what starts out as a discussion soon becomes clogged with misinformation and vitriol. One only needs to read comments of some articles or posts to see how the discussion can degenerate.
So, if I start offering my opinions on subjects or issues which may be, shall we say, more controversial or contentious, I must accept the fact that on occasion they may result in in uncivil discourse. And so I shall, as the alternative would be to remain silent.
So how did my regular fare, my Wee Internet Empire come about. Well, it just sort of evolved.
Although I had been online since the early 1990’s, I became really involved in social media about 2007 with Twitter, Facebook and other social media platforms. I started my Flickr page about the same time and began blogging in 2009. My YouTube began in 2016 and about mid 2021 I came up with my podcast.
While doing a podcast I made an offhand remark about about my wee internet empire. After, I thought why not, so that’s when I officially named it.
I have deliberately kept the subject matter and schedule of all platforms unstructured so as to post what I felt like, when I felt like. Because there is no set pattern, I created a newsletter so that my followers would know when there was something new and they wouldn’t have to keep checking in. If you haven’t already, you can subscribe to the newsletter here.
So, the point of this blog post is to let folks know that in the future I may talk about some areas where most likely there will be some religious and political aspects involved. Discussion in the form of civil discourse is welcome and encouraged. Most comments will be left for all to see, however threats or similar comments will be deleted and the person blocked.
As always, I really appreciate the support and feedback from my followers, or those who just drop in (whom it would be great to have as followers – unabashed plug). Your comments, thoughts and ideas are always appreciated.
Take care all. Catch you later with my next blog post/podcast or whatever.
Today, I’m doing a little reminiscing about years gone by.
Back in the early days of Twitter, now “X”, Edmonton was known as a hotspot for activity. We were known, not only locally, but much more widely, as one of the most active Twitter areas in the world.
Back in those days it was indeed a “social” network, as we would actually talk to each other, share thoughts and ideas. There was essentially no animosity. We would of course at times disagree, however that would usually result in a discussion, and often there would be a resolution of the matter.
Even better than that however, we would meet. Yes, meet. Face to face. We would have a “Tweet-Up”, where we would get together and chat, and in so many cases, become friends.
Some tweet-ups were planned, but many were spontaneous. Someone would tweet that they would be at such-and-such mall food court for a while, giving a time. Lo and behold, while they were there someone would stop by and join them for bit. This actually happened quite often. Planned tweet-ups were usually in the evenings and would be more of a social gathering. At times, we would gather to benefit some organization, such as having a mini fundraiser.
It was essentially through Twitter, and these Tweet-ups, that I got to know so many people in Edmonton, a large number of whom I remain in touch with to this day. They were truly great times.
My reminiscing today comes as I am making a small effort to perhaps recreate some of those times by starting what I’m calling a “Chat-Up”, on a weekly basis. As I write this, I’m sitting at the designated location for my second Chat-up, waiting to see who might drop by. The first time I did it there was one person who dropped by.
After posting the event on social media I did get several responses, however to this point only from those who said sorry but they were out of town or unable to come due to work, but they liked the idea and would try next time. But it’s a start. You know, the “Rome wasn’t built in a day” concept.
My thinking is, with all the crap that seems to be going on in our world these days, the odd get-together for plain and simple friendly conversation would be a good thing. I really miss hearing people actually discuss something without the fear that fisticuffs would transpire. I do have hope.
Here I am, home now. It was a quiet time at Koffee Cafe again this morning. However I do like the owners there and the atmosphere is friendly. Have been going there well over ten years.
I will post the “Chat-Up” time and place again for next week and see what happens. Regardless it’s a nice place to have Friday morning tea.
What are your thoughts? Do you still meet for chat in person, or does that even appeal to you these days?
For me, I like to keep in contact with as many people as possible. My choices are, in order of preference:
In person
By video
By phone
By messaging
Would you like to chat with me, in person or otherwise? You can find out more about me by visiting my Wee Internet Empire and subscribing to my Old Guy, New Tricks newsletter.
Thanks for reading, I do appreciate your support. Until next time, look after yourself, and watch out for others.
This morning I was starting to put together my latest newsletter (you can subscribe here), and I was going to use the words above as my lead in as it’s an expression that I have been using for a great many years. Then I thought about it and decided that I would write a blog post with those words as the title.
As it turns out, as an old fart, both of these songs are quite familiar to me, and both have developed a large following, being considered as either a protest or an type of anthem by those at the time.
For myself, I feel that both could be entirely applicable to events of the current times.
That being said, these songs were not what generated the thought process for this blog post.
Rather, it was a bit of contemplation of recent personal happenings.
Top of mind, yesterday, along with several Kiwanis colleagues, I attended a memorial service for a friend and long time club member. Ed Bean was a member of the Kiwanis Club of South Edmonton for sixty-five years, caring deeply about anything which would benefit young people. More than that, he was a pillar of the Edmonton community. He helped create and maintain Crystal Kids, an organization teaching, mentoring and nurturing at-risk, inner city kids, named after Crystal Glass, a company he formed in 1949. He was involved, over the years, in a great many community positive happenings as well as being a member of the Edmonton Investors Group which owned the Edmonton Oilers of the National Hockey League from 1998 to 2008. A true people person, Ed will be sorely missed, however his heritage will live long.
I recently set up and started a private family Facebook group, designed to introduce and acquaint diverse family members with each other. Like many families, as time has passed many of us are not familiar with distant cousins, and even may not actually know that we have these cousins. (And no, I’m not providing a link for this blog post, that’s what private is all about.)
As I’m working on this group, I have been delving more and more into our family history. It keeps getting more interesting, and, perhaps unsurprisingly, the odd time someone shows up that I knew about, but didn’t know we were related. I do imagine there are many families which may be like that. Check into yours, never know what you’ll find.
Another thing going on, there is a chance that I may actually have my hip replacement surgery on the horizon. As a result, I’m once again going through a battery of tests, procedures and activities in preparation. Perhaps this time it will actually happen. Fingers crossed.
There are a few other things going on that I won’t bore you with. Be it known however, that snow, ice and cold weather are still “in vogue” here in Edmonton and as such the trike and SLK are still ensconced in the garage. (Now I’m making a sad face.)
Bottom line… life is proceeding in it’s unique fashion and our job is to do our best to adapt to it’s flow. It seems to last longer that way.
Last week, prior to a meeting, I was part of a most interesting discussion. The fact that it was a hybrid meeting, and that I was attending the in person part, actually led into the discussion.
We got to talking about working remotely (usually at home) versus working at the office. It seemed to be about a 50/50 split among those taking part in the meeting. The discussion centered mainly around the effect and/or impact on the worker, rather than on the company. There were also discussions relating to pre-, during, and post- Covid, and how the situations were different.
Now for myself, I had retired pre-Covid and as such have been “working” at home, which, for me, is certainly not considered remote. As such, my experiences and thoughts were of course different from the others.
Once the pandemic began, quite a number of companies, in effect, closed down their on-site operations. Some were hands on workplaces, so this meant that employees were laid off. However the majority were office type workplaces, and while closing their physical spaces, various arrangements were made for employees to continue to work, in most cases, from home.
Now it seems, as Covid has passed (??), a good number of organizations are wanting their employees to return to the office while others say working from home is “doing the job” (pun intended). Then there are those organizations which are adopting a hybrid solution and having their employees go to the office two or three days a week and work from home the remainder of time.
Judging by the various reactions, some workers like the thought of returning to the office, some are ambivalent, while others are against it. And, it seems that there are some good reasons, and thoughts, behind each of these options.
During our discussions one person mentioned that although they like working at home they did miss the interaction of having co-workers around. He mentioned that the casual chat which often occurs while working had, from time to time, resulted in an “ah-ha” type of moment as he was working on a document or project.
Interestingly enough, both in-office workers and remote workers provided comments about having, at times, a disruptive environment. Either from co-worker activities or from child/dog/spouse activities. For instance, in my case, Otis the cat demanding to be fed. (Be assured, he can be quite disruptive.)
What are your thoughts or experiences? Do you prefer working at the office, at home, or some combination of both. Share in the comments please.
Now, to some who know me, that would be considered a dangerous thing.
Perhaps not, today anyway. However it has been an interesting thing for me. A bit interesting that is. You see, it’s a holiday Monday, here in Alberta it’s called Family Day.
One might imagine that due to the day, I would be thinking about family, and I did a little, however my main thinking has been about my retirement, and some of the factors which have been affecting it.
It is no surprise that topping the list has been COVID. I use capital letters here because that was the way it arrived. Now it has become more like #@&%*$ Covid.
For millions of people, the ramifications of Covid threw the proverbial monkey wrench into the system. My thinking today is more limited to retired folks, because I are one.
Back in late 2018 I retired for the final time, and yes, I even had plans. More than just plans, they were being put into practice.
For a good portion of the winter I would be in Malaysia, based at our apartment, spending time with family, friends and just doing some traveling around. My wife Kim would join me for part of the time as she was still working. The late spring, summer and early autumn would involve quite a bit of time on my motorcycle, going on rides with mates and fellow veterans, or just by myself touring around Alberta. On the weekends my wife and I would relax and travel around a bit, as well as being involved in weekend motorcycle and other community events.
For 2019 most went according to plan. I spent three months in Malaysia, Kim with me for a month. Summer saw some 6000 kilometres put on the bike and we were involved in various activities most every weekend. Right up to the end of the year we took part in both Kiwanis and veterans events. Life was doing okay.
2020 started out quite well, however there seemed to be ominous rumblings. Mid February Kim and I were off to Malaysia for six weeks. For the first three weeks we were joined by our daughter and her husband from Edmonton. For me this was a big event as she would meet her two sisters in Malaysia, in person for the very first time. (If you have been following my blog posts over the years you’ll know we have a blended family.)
After we arrived, the ominous rumblings increased, and people started talking about this Covid thing. The first three weeks went well, daughter and her husband headed home, and the rumblings increased. After another week they were more than rumblings and we reluctantly made the decision to err on the side of caution and headed back to Edmonton ten days earlier than planned.
Turns out, it was a good decision, as air traffic was essentially shut down shortly after we got home. We had to do our two week quarantine and then Kim was laid off as her workplace was shut down (only for about three months it turned out).
I’m sure that everyone is pretty familiar with what followed for the remainder of 2020 and basically all of 2021, so I’ll just talk about how this affected the retirement thing.
Now is a good time to touch on another factor affecting retirement, that being my health. I have always had a pretty robust immune system, however I have had some mobility issues, particularly in the last ten years. I was diagnosed with a bad hip and the decision was made to put me on the list for a total hip replacement. For those who have experienced this, it is an interesting process. Immediately I was scheduled for a whole battery of tests, including, but not limited to x-rays, heart tests, lung tests, dental tests, nervous systems tests, and more. These are all intended to determine if I was suitable for surgery.
All the tests were completed, however our friend Covid had laid a beating on all scheduled surgeries. Then, towards the end of 2021, I was notified to expect surgery in January 2022. About the same time I received a small injury to my lower leg and it was slow healing, which they thought likely due to me being diabetic. Injury, small or not, has a risk of infection, hence the surgery was cancelled.
Turned out that over the years I have developed poor circulation in my lower legs, causing my legs to be discoloured, and have extremally thin skin, which can be easily abrased, and any wounds would be very slow healing. Following that determination, there came extensive treatment by the wound clinic and home health care (kudos and thanks to these awesome medical professionals). End result, I will now be wearing compression stockings for the remainder of my time.
Good news is, the surgeon seems happy with my condition now and I may be looking at surgery in April of this year. After still more tests of course.
Now, back to this retirement thing.
Of course, any social activity had become a non-starter during 2020, so it was just me, or Kim and I, for the majority of the time. With my hip issues, I made the change from two wheels to three and bought a trike to ride. This made Kim happy and she now rode with me quite a bit. Between the two bikes I managed to put on over 8000 kilometres in 2020. As well the weather was helpful as Kim and I had our last ride of the year the first week of December. Throughout the year our riding was mostly solo. On the odd occasion we rode with others, whenever stopped we would be outside and maintain the suggested two metre distance.
For 2021, social activity remained at a minimum. Kim would go to work and get groceries, being masked and maintaining her distance at all times. Basically I would just stay home, so much that even Otis the cat was getting tired of me. Between the weather, a blown radiator and my leg issues, less than 4000 kilometres was accomplished on the bike. Veterans gatherings were almost nonexistent, while Kiwanis took on an extremely low profile.
2022 was more of the same, however we were starting to get out for our weekly dim sum, socially distanced of course. For me, I think Otis was starting to maybe like having me around, or not. He’s a cat so go figure. Very little riding this year, only about 4000 kilometres again. For my legs they were doing regular appointments as well as home care, so I had to be cautious and was not able to plan much. Come summer our veterans group was having weekly gatherings once more, however they were socially distanced in a parking lot. Oh well, at least we were getting together. Then in the fall, we were able to get together, actually inside. With some of our members being immune compromised, they were not comfortable attending. For Kiwanis, meetings were by Zoom only.
In September, we were lucky enough to add a vehicle to our garage. Defined as a Classic is our 1999 Mercedes SLK 230 sports car. For the next couple of months it was able to steal a few thousand kilometres from the trike, however they seem to get along well anyway. The nice thing is that it expands our ability to have some fun travel, day runs on the trike and longer with the Merc.
So now, here we are in 2023.
Soon it will be three years since we have seen our daughters and grandchildren in Malaysia. Otis and I have held down the home front with me getting out of the house for a few hours averaging one day a week. On occasion maybe two. Right now, this is retirement for me… my house. What day of the week is it? Oh it must be the weekend because Kim is home on Saturday and half of Sunday, and sometimes on a holiday (she works most holidays).
But, things are looking up. As I mentioned, possible surgery in April. Late last year I had a coffee with a friend, then with another friend in January, and now one tomorrow, this with a regular coffee mate from before Covid, but now for the first time in about two years or so. The two “summer rides” are resting in the garage, awaiting Spring and the opportunity to get out and about. An increased level of activity with Kiwanis is being contemplated. Our veterans group is getting together more often. And… we hope to be back in Malaysia about a year from now.
So… the retirement thing, what’s it all about. My experiences have been up and down, back and forth, good and bad. Well, that’s what life is, not only for me, but for every person experiencing the retirement thing. We are all different, not better or worse. All unique!
I’ve thrown a bit of light on my retirement thing, how is yours going?
Want to share? Please do! It would be great to hear from you.
So today I thought I’d have a bit of an experiment with this new AI stuff that is being reported on. I created an account with OpenAI to try out their ChatGPT chatbot software.
After logging in, I made the following entry: “Things I notice about aging.” The response I got is shown here in italics.
As a language model, I don’t have personal experience with aging, but I can provide some common observations and changes associated with the aging process:
Physical changes: As people age, they may experience changes in their physical appearance, such as gray hair, wrinkles, and age spots. They may also notice changes in their body shape and size, as well as changes in their mobility and stamina.
Health changes: Aging can bring about changes in health, such as increased risk for chronic diseases like arthritis, heart disease, and diabetes. Additionally, the immune system may weaken, making it easier to get sick or develop infections.
Cognitive changes: As people age, they may notice changes in their cognitive abilities, such as slower reaction times, decreased memory and concentration, and reduced processing speed.
Social changes: Aging can also bring about changes in social relationships, as friends and family members pass away or move away. Older individuals may also become more isolated, which can have negative effects on their mental health.
Emotional changes: As people age, they may experience a range of emotions, including increased feelings of gratitude and contentment, but also sadness or anxiety related to aging, retirement, and declining health.
It’s important to note that not everyone will experience these changes in the same way, and there are steps people can take to maintain their health and well-being as they age, such as staying physically active, eating a healthy diet, engaging in social activities, and seeking medical care as needed.
After reading the response received, without being overly wordy, I decided to give my own response on each of the five points shown. As a reference, I am well into my 74th year (for whatever that may mean).
Physical changes: Well, it seems I still have most of my hair, although it is less populated up there. As my hair has always been quite light blonde it’s hard to tell how gray it may be, however there is no question about my beard, it’s gray and lengthy (last shaved in November 2015). Have some wrinkles, and yes, a few age spots. My basic body shape has essentially unchanged for many years as I have been overweight most of my life, although the underside of my upper arms has gained some extra motion when I shake them. Mobility and stamina will be covered under the next item.
Health changes: I have developed arthritis, slightly in both knees, majorly in my left hip, which is awaiting a complete hip replacement (maybe this year). These of course affect my mobility, and combined with my weight, causes my stamina is affected to some degree. After many tests, the ticker seems to be working well, albeit being just a little weak. Circulation in my lower legs is not great, necessitating the wearing of compression stockings daily. (I look at it as providing a little extra leg protection when on my motorcycle.) Interestingly enough, my immune system remains strong and has a habit of telling sickness and infections to generally “buggar off” (and usually they do).
Cognitive changes: Not sure how my reaction times have changed, as I can still get really mad at myself or my computer in just an instant. In other areas though, like driving, my reactions are good, although my responses have become more tempered and experiences learned over the years have provided me with the knowledge that “stupid is as stupid does” and getting pissed off at it ain’t gonna help. One area I really notice a change though is in my memory. I often say, tongue in cheek, that I suffer from “part-timers”, where I forget things part of the time. This can be so frustrating. For example, I can be talking about someone, can see their face in my mind clear as anything, and their name will not come to me. Then sometime after the conversation is done, Bing, there is the name. Aargh!
Social changes: This is definitely an interesting one. I have lost, and continue to lose, my share of friends or family as they die (I’m not always comfortable with the term “pass away”), and it can create a major change when they are gone. I’m the oldest member of our family line, and have been for the last ten years. I stopped working when I retired for the final time just over four years ago changing my social interactions somewhat. I’ve been a member of Kiwanis since 2001 and a couple of motorcycle organizations since 2017 along with a Canadian Veterans group. However, the kicker came in 2019, when COVID basically said, “y’all just stay home and forget about any social life”. This has been a hard one to recover from as many folks are a bit “gun-shy” and are still not ready to get out and meet other people again. It takes time for sure. It also shows up in the fact that although we were in the habit of traveling to Malaysia to visit our family and friends, pretty much every year, we have not been since early 2020 and probably not until 2024. Not seeing two of our daughters and seven grandchildren is hard.
Emotional changes: A couple of expressions that have been around for many years are, “real men don’t eat quiche” and “real men don’t cry”. Well, for me, I’ve loved quiche all my life, however the crying thing has really come to the fore in the last ten to fifteen years. TV, movies, and real life all have, at times, the ability to open up the tear ducts. Guess older eyes need more lubrication. With regard to feelings of gratitude and contentment, I know that I’m grateful to still be looking at grass from the green side and to have Kim, the love of my life, at my side. Also very grateful for her patience with yours truly (I’m sure it must be sorely tested at times). Can’t say I have a great deal of anxiety or sadness with growing old, however I will admit to occasions of frustration when I find that I am unable to do something I’ve done all my life. Having said that, I’m thinking that I’m not quite over the hill yet, so let’s press on.
Okay, there you have it. Some thoughts about aging. Is that everything? Of course not, however you do get the general idea of what goes on in my head.
So, what goes on in your head? I invite you to share with me, and others who read this blog post, your thoughts or experiences about aging.
Thanks for reading. Catch you again in a future post.
As some of you have noticed, and in some cases, commented on, things have not all been sweetness and light over the last few months for me.
Thankfully Kim has been my rock, especially the times she had to put up with the grumpy old fart persona.
Hopefully though there seems to be a light at the end of the tunnel, as long as some nasty bugger doesn’t lengthen the tunnel again.
This past Wednesday I was finally able to get out of the house and went for coffee with my friend Jacqueline. In amongst all her talents, she is a motivator, and I can attest that having a motivator for a friend is excellent. I try to be a motivator, with some success, however it seems that I’m totally ineffective when dealing with myself.
I mentioned Jacqueline in my podcast today which can be heard here. I also created a YouTube video of my podcast. It is available here on my YouTube channel. She has agreed to do a podcast with me in the near future, perhaps more as she has much to share.
I have also been adding to my Flickr channel, now having more that 3000 photos (some only available for family/friends). Today I added photos I took in 2011 during a tour in Annecy, France. Here is a small slideshow sample.
Slowly, but surely, I will be catching up and posting more of the thousands of photos I have, many yet to be digitized. I often say, what good are all these photos if people can’t see them.
I remind people that the best way to keep in touch with Wee Internet Empire activity is to subscribe to my newsletter, Old Guy, New Tricks. When changes, updates, or other interesting things, become available they will all be noted in the next issue of the newsletter.
I am on a number of different platforms such as Facebook, Instagram, TicTok, Twitter, Matador, LinkedIn and others. All the necessary links are available on my website. I invite you to visit, and feel free to connect if you so desire.
Now I have come to the conclusion of today’s self promotion. However if I don’t work to spread the word how will you know what great stuff you will be missing. So thanks for your attention, your comments are always welcome, and hope to see you soon.
I try to wrap up most things by saying take care of yourself, and, if you can, help take care of those around you.
It’s been a month since I’ve done a blog post, and I really have no valid excuse.
For most of the time both my body and my mind felt like crap and I basically just said “screw it” and did nothing about everything, right past the end of the year.
It seems that my post in November, Sick People, Stay The Fu*k Home, was not adhered to, and Kim’s coworkers brought sickness to her workplace once more and both of us ended up sick. It was very unpleasant for both of us. I basically stayed in bed and didn’t eat for four or five days. For Kim, at one point she was very weak and was unable to put on my compression stockings for several days (the reason for the stockings may be another blog post sometime). As a result our daughter came to help a couple of times, then AHS Home Care was arranged until Kim was able to do it again.
The end result was that Kim and I decided that other than her going to work (she always wears a mask at both jobs), we would both remove ourselves from any social activities until further notice. Only Kim would do any grocery shopping, once again always wearing a mask. Since then we have only gone for our regular weekend dim sum, where we sit at a table separated from the other patrons. The only other thing has been some scheduled medical appointments for each of us.
This has meant not going to weekly veteran’s group gatherings, along with missing Christmas occasions with our Kiwanis club, veteran’s groups, Kim’s work and family. As well, many movies have been streamed, and it may be that Otis is getting tired of having us around. I truly appreciate how Kim has been putting up with this old fart and my seemingly wide (at times) mood swings. I’m certainly in good, and patient, hands.
For now, we are keeping tabs on how events may be unfolding and are considering that perhaps we will be able to go to a veteran’s group monthly breakfast in two weeks.
I have decided that I really need to get to work on my “Wee Internet Empire“, so it has occupied much of my time over the last few days. I have been working on my computer photo compilation, improving both my storage and my backups. Photos on my computer comprise only a portion of those which I have on hand. There are thousands of prints or slides, covering the almost forty years of photo taking prior to my first digital camera, that must be digitized. So much to do! Already I have three more groups of photos up on my Flickr site.
Speaking of Flickr, I would like to ask your opinion. On my site I have the albums arranged in chronological order, having the one with the most recent photos first, then going to the oldest album. I have been thinking about doing the reverse. I would appreciate any thoughts you might have about this. When I put in an album, whether from years ago or recent, I always put a direct link to that album in the next issue of my newsletter, “Old Guy, New Tricks” (which you are encouraged to subscribe to).
I have mentioned this before, however it is worth repeating. Any feedback that is provided on this blog, or any of the other platforms I publish on, is greatly appreciated. Even negative feedback (hopefully not received) is a validation of what I’m trying to do, and how I can improve my subscribers experience.
So please do let me know what you think. Also, if you have thoughts of what I could include in a blog, podcast, livestream or what ever, please pass them along. Who knows how it will work out.
Well, that’s enough blathering for now. Catch you next time. Take care of yourself, and take care of others.
I'm here to work on fiction. Occasionally I'll blog but that's certainly not my focus. You have a specific fiction genre or format you can't find enough of? Ask me. Maybe I got it. I migh share it with you. Otherwise, leave me alone; I'm toiling away at my workbench.
Richard's Ramblings 